RETRENCHMENT AT MOUMAHAKI

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7020, 7 January 1910, Page 2

RETRENCHMENT AT MOUMAHAKI

(To tlis Editor ‘ Timesj.”) Sir,—l '.native the report of a. speech m.[ido in the House *on the 15th Heceni* her by the hou. the Minister for Agriculture in connection, with the curtail* nier.it of experiments >aifc the •Moumahaki Experimental Tarm. • To my way of thinking, many of Mr McKenzie's renAirks show a narrowness of view and a lack of appreciation for true agricultural experiments altogether inexcusable in a man holding nis important ixxsition. Then his positive .statement that eleven men ail told can* run the farm, experiments and all (to ‘anyone living near and knowing how thoroughly the farm is run) proves that the Minister must be hopelessly out of touch with the actual necessities of the place. I have taken a close interest in the farm for years and ought to be in .a position to know about what labour is required to do the work; so with your kind permission I will give my-views Vis to the necessary labour for the ordinary routine work of such a place—quite apart from the extensive and very intricate experiments carried on there.

In tho first place the five or six acres of orchard and nursery need quite two good men to prune, spray, and keep tho weeds down .alone. Anyone with a knowledge of commercial orchards and nurseries will buck up tliis statement without a moment's hesitation. lhen the poultry staff of the farm, consisting of a man and two boys (.included in Mr McKenzie's statement of eleven men) must find it all they cam possibly do to attend properly to the routine workapart from any feeding and breeding experiments. Such, a farm as Moumahuki must, ot course, have a stockman ito do the milking and Tear the pedigree calves, besides doing odd jobs about the place. And where valuable stallions and brood mares are kept, an experienced etud grconi is indispensable. Also, for the several hundred sheep, in Humorous raxo breeds, a reliable shepherd must be retained for. them alone. Then a ploughman, three ordinary farm hands, a cook, and a clerk would (in addition to the manager) be quite nec&ssary for the proper carrying out of the ordinary every day farm work. Totalled up, these come to fifteen hands—four more than Mr McKenzie's alleged experienced estimate for all experimenting, attention to visitors, and everything else. It used to be a puzzle to me how the old original stafi of twenty-one all told managed to do everything, and yeit ailways keep the place so presentable—i rtin only put it down to the late manager's genius for organising practical business-like farm work. The Minister for Agriculture also says tkaifc in future ho is going to see to it that the country gets full value for its money from tho Moumahaki Experimental Farm. It comes somewhat as a surprise to us cockatoos that 'anyone in authority should dare to suggest that Mr (inlanders' work has not been giving lull value for the money expended upon it in the past, but of course those of us who know the farm, and have studied the .results of its work, are not likely to accept the statement of a mere fledgling of: a .Minister against 'the fifteen years solid reputation' of Mr GUlamders—a reputation for practical scientifio thoroughness unexcelled by any other officer of the , Department <K Agriculture. I would even suggest that if Mr inlanders' natural modesty would have •permitted the -usual self-advertrsenienit which his fifteen years of really valuable work eerttiinly warrants he would now be looked upon as the leading agriculturist (ion' his K>wn special lines; in the Dominion; but what do we hnd:■ That the results of bis experiments have been practically smothered, year after year, by listless unsympathetic political bosses, aud. now, to cap all, his life's work is, to all appearances virtually thrown in his face by a Ministerial head who probably does not know a swede from a icurnip. ■ Here, in this country's education system, Me have thousands of pounds at public money spent in teaching children and youths languages galore, art paintins, Wood .curving,, art needlework, cookery, drawing, and dozens of other more or 'less importamfc sidelines, while our Minister for Agriculture, backed up by the member for Patea, asserts positively.; that a'paltry two thousand pounds is j quite sufficient for all agricultural experiments for a great farming district like that extending from New Plymouth to Napier—probably ithe most diverse and certainly among the most advanced in the Dominion. . the Minister declares that many of the Moumahaki experiments arc finished 'and done with. I fail to 6ee how it can be said that anv single one—from the turnip and potato to the strawberry experimentscan be considered finished. Of course there is no such thing as finality to any branch of agricultural and horticultural experimental investigation, however much knowledge may be acquired rn any direction. ~-.,•■,. : One weak-kneed excuse the Minister makes'for his drastic and,short-sighted reduction of expenditure at Moumahaki is thait the farm contains a small flower and vegetable garden and,an old-fashion-ed .pokey hot-house whore indoor cn- } cumbers, grapes, pineapples, and choice

flowers are grown. ' Surely; Mr .'McKenzie is-not so absurdly marrdur ’ in. hie. conception ■of experiment farm objects as to wish the abolition of .the only ornamental section of the farm and wliicii can (hardly be costing more than .£IOO a year at the very outside,; while its value to the country as an educating influence must be well above that sum. . ■ ■ ■ ■ What right have we cockatoos to demand that all experiments shall bo made for lie, and us alone? Surely the thousands of amateur flower and vegetable growers (not considering those who make .a living, at the game) have some right to be thought of in the work of such an institution, and especially eo when it is remembered that everybody in New Zealand contributes' their share towards the upkeep of all Government experiment stations, and not by any means farmers alone. Our wives and daughters always take a close interest fin the vegetable, flower garden, and hot-house at Moumahalci, ■and usually come away with a store of information and new formed zeal which must, I say, have had a real good influence upon tho gardens and the homos of the whole district. ....

Some of my old conservative friends leave repeatedly told me that they blessed the ,day when “the wife" .demanded to be tnkon to see the famous little garden, because when the men folk, had 'spent an hour 'wandering about the farm proper, examining the demonstration hedges, the mangold, carrot, turnip, potato, maize, rape, Und dozens of other practical experiments, they came to the firm inclusion that they had been fools not to have visited the place before'. _ . Another plea which I would like to put forward in favour of retaining the experiment garden is the attraction which it undoubtedly has, for the hundreds of children who visit the farm annually, either in large parties under tho, guidance of their teachers, or with the huge school , picnics which are occasionally held there. Looked at. broadly, it will be admitted that the receptive minds of the budding farmers and farm mistresses in the district must bo uplifted by the sight of. several well kept, tastefully hud out flower and vegetable plots where hundreds of varieties of vegetables, gorgeous, old-fashioned, and rare flowers, all neatly labelled, are to be seen growing to perfection, and all un-

der the expert supervision of an enthusiastic and communicative young gardener who seems always only too -wining to impurt his ■ knowledge to othexa aiul incidentally rouse their latest talent for home gardening. .... Sir. I think it would be decidedly selfish of us to begrudge garden lovers the expenditure of .£IOO from the Monmahaki vote, and in abolishing tho experiment garden and hot-houso I believe Mr McKenzie is certainly not cxurcising the wish of the community. But apart from, all this I considei tho farm is well worth its cost, as ‘an attraction bo the rest of the farm—just as a sprat is valuable wherewith to catch a nmckoid. , in It has como somewhat as a shock to most of -us that Mr Gillandcrs has resigned from tho overseer-ship of Mouruahnld. , , Various rumours are afloat as to tne reason for this sudden giving up of hi« work, but tho generally accepted solution is that the Minister s flat refusal to find money to carry on the experiments convinced him that the Government have ceased to take such woi k at all seriously, and that consequently it wasn't worth his while continuing to waste his (time and energy endeavouring to rim experiments properly without the necessary .money, and especially in return for a mere pittance of a, salary. It is 'indeed regrettable th’jlk such a, well-known and widely esteemed public servant should bo insultingly bold that his life’s work has not been giving value for the money expended 'upon it, and ait that, by an alleged authority who never studied it beyond a few minutes—if at all. . ... . . At tho same time perhaps it is just as well for Mr Gilhinders’ own sake that he did resign, as his unique ability was never likely to be recognised by such a short-sighted Minister, while .hard-earned knowledge will, among the thousands of fanners who know arid respect him, prove, most likely, far more appreciated -and lucrative dn some other sphere of influence.—l am, etc., JAMES C. NICOL. , Huwera, January Ist.